Transportation
''D.C.'s High Line" Could Transform the Banks of the Anacostia
The proposed elevated park across the Anacostia would be a first for D.C. The group backing it has launched a national design competition to design a bridge that fosters economic development, promotes community health, and cleans the river.
Port Authority Funds Diverted to New Jersey Roads and Bridges
As an alternative to raising the nation's second lowest gas tax (but lacking Alaska's oil wells), The Record found that Gov. Christie diverted toll revenue from the Port Authority and used them for state-owned facilities such as the Pulaskie Skyway.
What's Wrong With Walk Score's Food Desert Map
Walk Score’s new food desert map is a potentially powerful tool in the ongoing policy debate about access to healthy foods. But it’s still a work in progress.
Proposed Transit Fare Increase Provokes Strong Opposition in Los Angeles
More than 500 “activists, students and low-wage workers” spent their Saturday at a public hearing at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority imploring the agency’s board not to raise fees.
How Easy is Walking to the Grocery Store in Your City?
Angie Schmitt shares news of an effort by WalkScore to rank cities based on the ability of residents to access grocery stores on foot. WalkScore invites planners all over country to use their data to improve walkable access to food in cities.
Report: California High-Speed Rail Won't Meet Travel Time Requirement
In 2008, California voters approved the country's only true HSR project with a travel time of 2 hours, 40 minutes from L.A. to San Francisco. Anything more than that might cause legislators to balk at proposed cap-and-trade funding for the train.
Can Biking Be for Everyone?
Most bikers are white and have a college degree. A recent article examines the Baltimore Bike Experience as an example of the types of programs that could expand the use of biking into other parts of the city, among other benefits.
The Car-Free Share, and Hail, Their Rides
Ben Adler considers the availability of car-sharing and cab services in maintaining a car-free population.
Christie Vindicated!
The facts are in—N.J. Gov Chris Christie did not know of the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, much less order them, according to an internal report commissioned by the governor himself that did not interview any of the key witnesses.
The Place for Bike Lanes
Initial attempts at making city streets more encouraging to cyclists have often been marred by poor design.
Texas Mayors Support High Speed Rail
The mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston recently announced their support of a high-speed rail connection between the two metropolitan areas. The line would be privately funded.
Development Benefits of Minneapolis’ Blue Line Scrutinized
A new paper in the Regional Science and Urban Economics journal presents a lukewarm review of the Minneapolis Blue Line’s impact on development through 2010—doing little to buoy the market during the Great Recession.
County Income Taxes for Transit? Hoosiers to Decide
When it comes to allowing voters to decide whether to increase local or state taxes for transportation, the most common option by far is the local or state sales tax. But what about income taxes; has it been tried before? And for public transit only?
Legal Battle Over Transportation Network Companies Shifts to Chicago
Chicago political leaders are floating a pair of competing bills that would regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Cab companies are pushing for legislation, seeking a “level playing field” in the market.
Kansas City Streetcar Expansion Moves Forward; Wealthy Enclave Opts Out
A pair of articles by the Kansas City Star details a surprising development in the preparation for an expansion of the city’s streetcar: the affluent neighborhood of Brookside along the southwest corridor of the proposed extension opted out.
Checking in on the Bicycle Backlash
Alan Davies writes from Down Under about a recent controversy in the Australian media about the “menace” of cycling in the urban core—where some are tired of the bicycle lobby's advancements of its cause.
Houston Launching 'Goal Zero' Bike Safety Program
Following the lead of New York City and San Francisco, Houston is the latest large American city to launch a program aimed at eliminating bike fatalities. The program includes funding for the creation of a Bicycle Master Plan.
A Female Champion for Salt Lake City’s 'Transportation Revolution'
Robin Hutcheson has led the transportation planning division of Salt Lake City since 2011—a period of expansion for multi-modal transportation improvements all over the city.
Room for Improvement for Citi Bike—But Not Dead Yet
Nancy Scola responds to a recent Wall Street Journal article detailing the ongoing financial troubles of Citi Bike—New York City’s bikeshare program, which is reportedly scrambling for money and operating deeply in the red.
Tappan Zee Bridge Bike and Pedestrian Path Sparks Controversy
A recent article calls it likes it sees it: most would consider a three-mile bike and pedestrian path over the Hudson River a gift. Not so in South Nyack, at the western end of a new Tappan Zee Bridge, where such a plan sparked vehement opposition.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello